A new menu for first-class passengers on Amtrak’s high-speed Boston to Washington service was developed with help from one of Washington’s best-known chefs, Michel Richard. Richard, owner of Washington’s Michel Richard Citronelle and Central Michel Richard, was part of an eight-member team that came up with the new choices for the Acela Express, Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. Among the recipes Richard contributed was braised short ribs with cheesy grits, Connell said. Other options in the new fall-winter menu include seared salmon, chicken Pa Nang, and polenta cakes with mushroom ragout.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Perennially cash-strapped Amtrak has found a new way to generate revenue – by turning an entire train into a moving billboard. A train used on the Acela Express, the railroad’s premium Boston-Washington service, will be wrapped in an advertisement for the History Channel’s “1968 with Tom Brokaw,” a two-hour special scheduled to air Dec. 9.